Those Who Favor Fire
by rebecca-in-blue
Summary: "They're in the bullpen, so he ignores the perfect view of her back." Gibbs wants their relationship kept a secret. Ziva doesn't. Mild Zibbs, tagged throughout Season 9.
1. Enemy on the Hill

A warning to my regular readers (if I have any): This story is a bit different from my normal stuff. I don't usually write couples, but the pairing here is established Ziva/Gibbs. I know all my other stories about them are father/daughter, but this plot bunny came out of nowhere and would not leave me alone until I wrote it! I hope that a few of you who don't ship Zibbs will give this story a try anyway, because nothing graphic happens and some scenes (although not the ones in this chapter) could still be taken as father/daughter.

My plan is to write tags to a few different episodes of Season 9. The chapters will be named after the episodes, because I'm not creative enough to think of my own chapter titles. We'll begin with 9x04 "Enemy on the Hill." I tried to make this chapter fun and flirty, which is also a big departure for my usual angsty self.

Needless to say, this story exists in a happy place where Ray Cruz does not. ;)

(For my own reference: 29th fanfiction, 20th story for _NCIS_.)_  
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><p>He's seen Ziva wear that slinky blue shirt before – the one that hangs off her loosely in some places, but clings to her in all the right ones. The last time she wore it, it was just the two of them, and when she caught him admiring the wide V-neck, she had smiled, leaned in, and whispered in his ear, "The blue matches your eyes, yes?"<p>

When she walks into the bullpen wearing it, Gibbs can't help but stare for a second, noticing how the neckline is so low that her Star of David necklace is resting on her bare skin. And when Ziva catches him at it again and gives him a tiny slice of a smile – just brief enough so the guys won't notice – he wonders if she has something up her sleeve. So to speak.

He's pretty damn sure of it when Sportelli arrives in the bullpen. Because that's when Ziva decides to park her lovely ass right on his desk and keep it there while Sportelli briefs the team on catching Arliss.

Gibbs keeps typing at his keyboard and pretends not to notice, even as he tries to figure out how to react. He'd like to just let her sit there so he can enjoy the view and how that shirt hangs down her back; it reminds him of his bedsheet falls loosely across Ziva's bare back in the mornings. But the correct response would be to bark at her and tell her to get off his desk. That's what he would do if one of the guys ever dared to sit on his desk, and he doesn't want to look like he's giving Ziva special treatment and make anyone suspicious.

He's about to tell her to move it when Tony laughs and makes a dig at Sportelli. "So you arrested the unconscious man – did you have to cuff him when he was down on the sidewalk?"

Ziva chuckles and glances casually over her shoulder at Gibbs. That's when he realizes that she's deliberately trying to get a reaction out of him, wearing that low-cut shirt and parking her ass right in his line of vision. She's been wanting to go public with their relationship for months, but he's insisted they keep it a secret from the rest of the team. Now she's trying to provoke him into doing something that will reveal it.

Gibbs knows how to react now that he knows what Ziva's up to. Instead of ordering her off his desk, he ignores her sitting on it. He ignores the perfect, delicious view of her back. He looks at Sportelli and asks calmly, "How'd you ID him?"

She's a damn good player, but he's not about to let her win this little game.

xXx

"Why don't you let an agent shadow you at work?" he suggests when Brett insists that he can take care of himself and doesn't need to go into protective custody.

Brett starts to object again, but then he looks at over Ziva, who's standing right in front of him and still wearing that damn low-cut blue shirt. Gibbs immediately regrets his suggestion. The way that guy's looking at Ziva –

"And who would be the agent shadowing me?" Brett asks pointedly, still staring at Ziva.

Gibbs is about to answer _Not her_ and call DiNozzo or McGee to give one of them the job, but then Ziva tilts her head towards Brett and gives him her flirtiest smile. And Gibbs knows that she's still trying to provoke a reaction out of him, something that will make it obvious they're in a relationship.

So he grits his teeth and gives her the job of tailing Brett. He has to grit his teeth because if he didn't, he would add to Brett, threateningly, "But don't you _get_ any ideas. She's mine."

xXx

Ziva's voice is tense when she calls him that evening, asking him to pick her up. Gibbs starts to ask about Brett, but she interrupts him, saying shortly, "He ditched me." She sounds so angry with herself for letting this happen that Gibbs doesn't press her for details. He just tells her, "Be right there."

He buys her dinner on the ride back to his place – a burger and fries from some fast-food joint – mildly surprised when she doesn't object, just thanks him quietly. Ziva must really be pissed if she's willing to eat fast food. Normally she cooks dinner for the two of them whenever she spends the night with him. She loves to cook, especially for him. And Gibbs loves eating her food, especially when she steals his fork and holds it up to his lips for him.

They're about halfway home when Ziva's cell phone beeps, and she slouches down in her seat a bit, just enough for her shirt to ride up and expose some of the tanned skin of her abs, and pulls it out of her hip pocket. She straightens up and slides it open, and the bluish glow of the screen casts such a strong light on her face in the dim car that Gibbs has to struggle to keep his eyes on the road – especially when her lips slowly spread into a smile and she looks from her phone over to him, teasingly.

"I got a text from – the guys," she tells Gibbs, still smiling. There's a pause in her voice, no more than a fraction of a second, but it's enough to tell Gibbs how she's choosing her words. Saying _the guys_ instead of _DiNozzo_, even though he knows it was almost certainly DiNozzo who sent her the text.

"Apparently Kaplan's landlady was quite taken with you," Ziva goes on. Of course. Gibbs had been expecting DiNozzo to tell her about Ms. Roach's attempt to flirt with him since it happened. It was all his Senior Field Agent could do not to burst out laughing back at Kaplan's apartment. "Should I be worried?"

He smiles at her and teases back, "Only if I should be worried about you and Brett."

Her anger over losing Brett has melted away, and she just smiles and tilts her head thoughtfully. "Well, I was tailing him all day. Staring at his ass..."

It's almost funny how quickly Gibbs's smile disappears. But he wasn't expecting that answer, and now he remembers that Brett is at least ten years younger than he is, with blonde hair and dimples in both cheeks. The sort of guy women swoon over.

He isn't aware that he's frowning until he feels something brush lightly against his mouth, tickling. Ziva has taken a French fry out of the fast-food bag and is trailing it along his lips. With the warm, salty smell right under his nose and Ziva's slender fingers so close to his mouth, he can't help but grin.

"That's better," Ziva says in a low voice. She's leaned over in her seat, so her lips are right at his ear now. "Jealousy does not become you, Gibbs."

xXx

When they get back to his place, Gibbs changes out of his usual work clothes into a old NIS shirt and worn pair of jeans. He comes out of the bathroom and finds Ziva sitting at his dining room table – no, she's sitting _on_ his dining room table, her long legs stretched leisurely out on one of the chairs, finishing off the burger and fries he bought her. Her head is bowed slightly as she wipes her fingers on a napkin, and she's pulled out her ponytail, so her loose hair falls down around her face.

Gibbs says as he crosses his sparse dining room towards her, "First my desk, and now my table, Ziver?"

"So you did notice when I sat on your desk." Ziva looks up at him and smiles, but her words are slow and sultry. "I was starting to think you'd lost interest." She leans back, her hands behind her on the table for support. She still has on that loose, slinky blue shirt, and as she stretches her arms, the material is pulled tighter across her breasts in a way that drives Gibbs crazy.

"You know what else you can do on this table?" he asks her. He's standing right in front of her now, but the chair that she's resting her feet on is still between them. Gibbs grabs it from under her feet and shoves it out of the way. Its legs scrape loudly against the floor, and Ziva's legs are left hanging over the edge of the table. There's nothing blocking his hands now, if he wanted to reach out and grab her hips, or slide one of his legs between hers.

Ziva just grins wickedly, as if she was hoping he would ask that very question, and she raises her hand to her mouth and licks a dab of ketchup off her finger. Gibbs can practically see the sparks in her dark eyes.

"Show me."

xXx

Ziva wears her hair down to work the next day. It's loose and a bit mussed, but it works well to hide the marks he left on her neck.


	2. Engaged: Part 2

Many thanks to all those who left reviews on Chapter 1! I've never written this pairing before, so it's good to know some of you Zibbs shippers are liking this story. Chapter 2 is set during 9x09 "Engaged: Part 2," and follows it pretty closely. (So obviously, spoilers for that episode.) This chapter is quite less flirty and more angsty than the last one, but I think that's fitting for the episode.

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><p>He decides to take Ziva with him immediately, as soon as Commander Ellison tells him when the plane leaves, and Gibbs understands that they're sending him to Afghanistan to find Lieutenant Flores and bring her home. "Don't come back without her," Ellison adds, just in case he didn't make himself clear enough.<p>

Gibbs hits the one button on his cell phone on his way downstairs from Vance's office, and Ziva picks up after the first ring. She goes into all-business mode as he briefs her on the op, never protesting or objecting or asking any obvious questions. Despite the circumstances, Gibbs has to smile against his phone at how she takes it all in stride. That's his Ziver. When he tells her that their plane leaves at 0500, Ziva just says, "On it, Gibbs," as if this were any routine assignment.

He's grateful that no one will be suspicious of anything because he's taking Ziva with him. She makes the most sense, as the only team member besides Gibbs with military training, and her gift for languages, besides.

Under different circumstances, whisking Ziva away on a plane ride to some hot, sandy country would be a dream come true. But they're flying to a war zone in Afghanistan to rescue a captured Marine. The op is much too dangerous for either of them to get distracted, even for a moment. They might be tempted – especially away from the prying eyes of their team – but they both know better than to act on their impulses.

After all, they did this for a living once, both of them. They've been soldiers before. It's just one more reason why they understand each other so well.

xXx

"Smooth ride?" Captain Quincy asks after they climb out of the transporter.

"Till someone started shooting at us," Gibbs answers nonchalantly, and that makes Ziva smile at him as she falls into a loose, easy stride at his side. She's relaxed for a war zone, comfortable despite the heat and the heavy fatigues, and Gibbs is glad that she's there with him. They have each others' backs.

She tells Quincy that they'll need to see the girls Flores saved, and the captain looks at her with obvious doubt in his eyes. "As long as you're prepared for what you'll see," he tells her grimly, and it's clear he doesn't think she can handle this. Maybe he's even wondering why Gibbs brought her with him. But this man doesn't know Ziva. He has no idea what she's seen.

Still, Gibbs notices how her eyes widen when the two little Afghan girls climb out of the truck. He's just close enough to hear her low gasp when she sees the wounds, fresh and raw, and the bandages. And that's when he feels a sudden, cold regret run through him, for bringing Ziva along. But it's too late, she's here, and all he can do now is just hope to God that this doesn't rip open any old wounds or stir up any bad memories for her.

She smiles and chats with the little girls until they're at ease, but Gibbs notices how her eyes linger on the bruises and burns on the younger girl's arms. Ziva still has faded scars and old marks from cigarette burns on her own body. She never talks about them, but Gibbs has seen them. Most of them are in places that only he sees.

He kisses both of those little girls when they're done talking with them – because he wants so badly for them to know that they're stronger for what they've gone through, that they can still be happy and loved, that the world isn't going to stop caring about them because of their scars. He's half-temped to kiss Ziva, too.

xXx

Quincy gets shot in the neck early in and goes down hard, his life bleeding out onto the hot sand. A few moments later, after the shooting's over, Ziva kneels down next to him and tells him, "You're doing great, Captain, just hold on." Gibbs wants to grab her by the arm and pull her away. He wants to protect her from this, because it's obvious that Quincy _isn't _doing great, and Gibbs knows all too well what it's like to be that close when someone dies. What it's like afterwards. He knows that you never stop seeing that last desperate look in their eyes. You never stop hearing those final gasping breaths.

Agent Lee on the floor of that bus...

Quincy makes a strangled, rattling sound, and it's Ziva's name. "Don't go, David..." And so she doesn't. She stays by his side even when the medic tells her to stand back. Gibbs keeps his distance, but his heart burns as he watches Ziva with Quincy. God, this isn't fair to her. Ziva hardly even knew Quincy, but after this, she's going to have a piece of him with her forever, like a tiny, jagged slice of glass buried inside her.

They're a lot alike, but this isn't something Gibbs ever wanted Ziva to have in common with him.

xXx

He doesn't know which took more out of her – talking to the two little girls, or watching Quincy die. The job doesn't wait, but after the mission is over, the bad guys caught, Lieutenant Flores rescued, and they're all on the plane flying home – Ziva can't pretend that it hasn't effected her anymore. Gibbs can't pretend not to notice.

Even with the dim lighting in the plane, he can see the ghosts of her past chasing each other across her dark eyes, haunting her. Gibbs checks his watch. Their plane has only been in the air for an hour or so. They've still long way to go before they land in DC, and Ziva's exhausted from everything that's happened, but Gibbs can tell that she isn't going to be able to get any sleep, not in this condition.

When he reaches out and touches her hand with his, Ziva flinches a bit, surprised, and jerks her head around sharply to look at him. Her hand is shaking in his, and her skin is hot to the touch. Gibbs can feel her wild pulse. He just squeezes her hand gently until the shaking stops and her heartbeat goes back to normal. Then he pats his thigh with his free hand, inviting.

And for once, his Ziva doesn't play the part of the tough assassin who never needs comforting. She doesn't say that she's fine or brush off his offer. Instead, she gives him a tiny, grateful smile and takes him up on it. Five minutes later, she's lying on her side on the narrow bench, her head in Gibbs's lap as he slowly strokes her hair. In another five minutes, she's fast asleep.

The two of them stay like that for almost the rest of the ride back to DC. Gibbs dozes on and off, leaning back against the wall of the plane. He's careful not to wake Ziva, though, even when the light weight of her head on his thigh causes his entire left leg to fall asleep. He just purses his lips and keeps stroking Ziva's hair as the painful sensation of prickly pins and needles runs from his toes to his waist. It's worth it when he shakes her awake just before they land, and she sits up, stretches, and smiles at him, looking rested and refreshed. That terrible haunted look is gone from her eyes.

Just before she stands up and goes to the bathroom, she puts her hand on his thigh - right where she had rested her head - leans in, and gives him a quick kiss on the lips. One of the medics on the plane notices and gives them a strange look, but for once, Gibbs doesn't care. They can't pretend forever.

xXx

"No rest for the weary," he tells her later, when they're back in the familiar comfort of the bullpen, and Afghanistan feels far away. He says it because it's what he would say to DiNozzo or McGee, if one of them complained that he was tired, and he doesn't want to give Ziva any special treatment and make the guys more suspicious than they probably already are.

But even as the words leave his lips, he remembers the light weight of her head in his lap on the plane ride home. He remembers watching her chest rise and fall in time with her calm, even breathing. And for a second, he wants nothing more in the world than to let Ziva curl up against him and get the rest she needs, while he runs his hand through her hair.


	3. Sins of the Father

Spoiler Alert: This chapter, obviously, is set during episode 9x10 "Sins of the Father."

Ratings Warning: Please note that the rating has been changed from K+ (PG) to T (PG-13), mostly for the final scene in this chapter. It's not smut, and there are definitely much more graphic pieces out there, but my romantic writings are usually very mild. So for me, this is easily the most risque stuff I've ever written. I'm quite shocked at myself! *blushes*

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><p>Gibbs watches from behind his desk as DiNozzo Sr. smiles at Ziva and hugs her to him right in the middle of the bullpen. "Ziva," he gushes, "you look as ravishing as ever." And Ziva makes no move to stop him; far from it, she actually turns her head towards Senior so he can kiss her cheek.<p>

Gibbs's face betrays nothing, of course – it never does – but he has to grind his teeth together to keep his anger in check, because right now, he'd like nothing so much as to grab Senior, pull him away from Ziva, and punch him right in the face. He isn't hugging her anymore, but he still has his slimy paws on her shoulders. That bastard... The urge to punch him is so strong that Gibbs's hand leaves his mouse and clenches into a fist.

Tony glances over at them from where he's standing by the monitor with McGee, and he doesn't look any happier than Gibbs at the sight of Ziva and his dad together. It makes Gibbs wonder which one of them is more bothered when those two mock-flirt.

"Junior, when are you gonna come to your senses and sweep this gorgeous creature off her feet?"

For the briefest moment – so quickly that no one else notices – Ziva looks straight at Gibbs and giggles a bit. Gibbs is sure that she's playing her little game again, trying to provoke him into doing something that will reveal they're in a relationship. She's probably hoping that he'll get up and growl at Senior, "She's _mine_." Or maybe she's just looking at him to see if he's as amused by the idea of Tony sweeping her off her feet as she is.

"It's just a minor bump in the road," Senior tells her of his arrest, "but it'll all be sorted out soon, right, Gibbs?" He looks over to Gibbs for an answer, but Gibbs only glares at the two of them, standing there together, looking so damn cozy. His knuckles, still in a tight fist, brush lightly, dangerously, along the edge of his desk.

Gibbs is sure he sees Senior stare at Ziva's ass when she leaves the bullpen to talk to Massey's ex-wife a moment later, and that makes him even angrier. He still hasn't forgiven Senior for touching Ziva's ass when she went on a date undercover with him last year – even though they weren't together then – and he probably never will. Just the thought of another man touching Ziva's ass makes him want to pull out his Sig.

When Agent Dorneget accompanies Senior from the bullpen, Gibbs tells him, "If he gives you any trouble... shoot him."

xXx

_Dammit, Gibbs, what were you thinking? _That's what he asks himself as he hauls the cot upstairs from the basement and gets clean sheets out of the linen closet. What was he thinking when he agreed to let DiNozzo Sr., of all people, spend the night at his house? But Tony had looked so crestfallen at the idea of his dad staying at a detention center...

Gibbs fixes the cot up for Senior and the couch for himself. He only sleeps in the bed in the master bedroom when Ziva is with him. On the nights when she doesn't come over – and obviously she isn't coming _tonight_, with Senior here – he takes the couch in the living room. He's never tried it, but he's sure that he would feel depressed and lonely sleeping in that big bed by himself, without Ziva's warm body next to him. On the narrow couch, there's no room for self-pity.

He sets the cot against the wall on the opposite side of the living room, thinking about how Senior is used to much more luxurious sleeping arrangements. _But so help me, if he complains -_ Then Gibbs almost panics when he sees the book lying on a nearby end table. The spine is on the opposite side, and the writing on the cover is in Hebrew. Ziva must've forgotten it the last time she was here. Gibbs snatches it up and quickly hides it in a drawer. God, if Senior had seen that...

He remembers the doubtful looks on the guys' faces when they found out Senior would be staying with him. They don't know their boss is pissed at Senior over Ziva, but they still knew it was a bad idea. It had been his bad idea, too, for Ziva to go on a date with Senior the last time he was in town. _Really, just what the hell were you thinking?_

He's not going to break out his steak recipe for Senior, so instead, he makes a pasta dish that he's cooked for Tobias before. The evening goes well enough until halfway through dinner, when Gibbs suddenly finds himself transfixed by Senior's left hand, which is resting on the table next to his plate. Gibbs stares at that hand for a long, hard moment, wondering angrily...

Is that the hand you touched my Ziver's ass with?

"What was that?" Senior asks, looking up from his plate, and Gibbs freezes as a cold dread runs through him. Dear God, did he really just say that out loud? "Did you say something, Agent Gibbs?"

Gibbs just shakes his head and hastily gets up from the table to put his dishes in the sink. He tries to avoid looking at Senior for the rest of the night, lest he suddenly be gripped by an overwhelming urge to interrogate him, find out which hand he touched Ziva's ass with, and break each one of its connecting fingers.

xXx

_Jealous. _The word lodges itself in his brain as he sleeps on and off, listening to Senior breathing on the other side of the room. He tosses and turns on the couch, but no matter how hard he tries, he can't stop hearing that word. _Jealous._ It repeats in his head until finally Gibbs looks up at the ceiling, sighs, and admits it. Yes, he's jealous.

He's jealous because Senior hugged and kissed Ziva in the middle of the bullpen, in front of the guys and everyone else. Meanwhile Gibbs, who's been in a relationship with her for months now, still rarely lets himself be affectionate with her in public, and never in front of anyone they know. He still grinds his teeth to keep silent, rather than tell anyone they're together – even though Ziva is already tired of keeping it a secret.

Gibbs rubs his jaw, which is sore from all the teeth-grinding, and he knows that he can't keep up the charade much longer. Something will have to change soon.

xXx_  
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_Finally_, Gibbs says to himself after Senior and Son have left. In retrospect, he tries to figure out which idea was worse – letting Tony's dad spend the night at his house, or letting _both_ DiNozzos cook a turkey in his kitchen. But he's glad that Tony seemed to reach an understanding with his dad, and he's grateful for the peace and quiet now that they're both gone. He missed it almost as much as he misses Ziva. It's been too long since she stayed the night at his place.

In his kitchen, Gibbs wipes down the counters and floors easily enough, but there's a scorch mark on the ceiling above the stove that he doesn't know how to get rid of. He's putting the dirty dishes to soak in the sink when Ziva arrives. He hears the front door open and close, then he turns to find her in the doorway of his kitchen, grinning at him. At first, Gibbs thinks she's amused by his appearance – hair disheveled, sleeves scrunched up, shirt smeared with grease – but no, she's just happy to see him. She's missed him, too. They see each other constantly on the job, of course, but it's not the same as being together outside work. They haven't been able to do that since before Senior arrived, and it feels like it's been forever.

"I missed you," Ziva says, crossing the kitchen to him. She smiles against his mouth as she kisses him, but her hug is carefully distant, to avoid touching his greasy shirt, and Gibbs frowns. A hug at arm's length won't do after he's missed her so much.

His hands are still wet with cold dishwater from the sink, and he reaches behind her, slips one hand beneath her shirt, and toys with the bare skin of her back. Ziva gasps as his fingers send chilly drops of water running down her skin. She arches her back and steps closer to him to get away from his hand, until their bodies meet, and her small, perfect breasts press against Gibbs's chest. She raises her dark eyes to his blue ones as she realizes how he's tricked her.

Gibbs smiles smugly as he removes his hand from under Ziva's shirt and wraps his arms around her, holding her close. "That's better," he says softly.

xXx

In his dream that night, he's standing in front of the monitor in the bullpen while Tony and McGee rattle down a report on a suspect. It's business as usual until Ziva passes by, smiling at him, and Gibbs grabs her, lifts her up, and throws her across his desk to have at her. In the illogical world of dreams, somehow _everyone_ is now in the bullpen watching them – not just the guys, but Director Vance, Abby, Ducky, and even Palmer – but Gibbs doesn't care because he's so lost in the frenzy, with Ziva's legs wrapped around his waist, her nails scratching at the back of his neck, and her voice in his ear, breathlessly urging him on.

He wakes up before the dream can reach its climax. It's early morning – faint sunlight gently streaming in through the crack in the curtains – and beside him, Ziva is already awake, sitting up in bed and absently reading one of her Hebrew books. Fortunately, she's all too happy to throw it on the floor and turn her attention to Gibbs when he wakes up sweaty and aroused.

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><p>There is still more to come, but that was probably as "hot" as things will get in this story.<p> 


	4. Newborn King

Tagged to episode 9x11 "Newborn King." I kinda have mixed feelings about this chapter – is it too boring?

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><p>"It's okay," Ziva tells Gibbs. "I got this covered," and she slips outside to fight off the two Russian hit-men while he stays inside the abandoned gas station to deliver Lieutenant Reynolds's baby.<p>

She tells herself that it's the best choice, that after all these years, she still isn't any better around emotional women, much less ones who are giving birth. But beneath that, Ziva can't help imagining how it would be if _she_ was the one who was pregnant and racked by labor pains, counting on Gibbs's calm, steady countenance to get her through it. And it shocks her that she's almost jealous of Lieutenant Reynolds.

Ziva tries to push the image out of her mind as she creeps through the falling snow to the Russian's van, but she can see it all so clearly... herself in a hospital bed, sweat glistening on her forehead, with Gibbs at her side, holding her hand and keeping her focused as only he can.

The image keeps popping into her head, distracting her, and snowflakes stick to her eyelashes and melt, blurring her vision. It's much longer and harder than it should be for her to take out the last Russian hit-man. Eventually she throws away her weapon and takes him down the old-fashioned way, but not before he gets in a good kick to her ribs that knocks all the wind out of her. And it saddens her that she still has so much more experience with taking life than with bringing it into the world.

xXx

She doesn't protest when Gibbs makes her ride to the hospital with Lieutenant Reynolds and the baby when the ambulance finally reaches them through the snow. The doctors x-ray her, poke and prod, and finally put a binding on her ribs, give a prescription for some strong painkillers, and tell her that can go home as long as she takes it easy for the next few days.

Gibbs finds her, as he always does, after the doctor leaves. She's lying on a gurney with her eyes closed – not asleep, but just resting from all that's happened – when he pulls back the curtain. Ziva keeps her eyes closed and thinks it must be another nurse wanting to check on her, but then she feels Gibbs's hand on her head, stroking her hair.

She opens her eyes and carefully sits up, wincing just a little, but of course Gibbs notices. He frowns when she tells him what the doctor said – that she's free to go, as long as she takes it easy for a while.

"You're sure?" Gibbs asks, a bit skeptically. "No ribs broken?"

Ziva shakes her head. "Just bruised."

Without warning, Gibbs lifts up the hem of her shirt to see for himself. He looks closely at the dark bruises and the binding the doctor put on her ribs, and Ziva makes no move to stop him, but it mildly annoys her. Gibbs is the one who still insists they can't go public with their relationship, but in private, he does things like pull her shirt up without asking her. But Ziva patiently lets him look for as long as he wants, until finally he lets go of her shirt and lets it fall back down across her torso.

She is grateful, though, when Gibbs gives her a ride – not back to her apartment, but to his place. "You're stayin' with me till you're better," he tells her in the car, and Ziva smiles. She'd never admit it, but she loves the idea of sleeping in Gibbs's bed and letting him take care of her until her ribs have healed. But then he adds, "And I want you to stay home tomorrow night."

Ziva looks at him sharply. "We are having dinner with Leyla and Amira tomorrow night."

"Leyla will understand, Ziver." She sighs, frustrated, and falls silent, gazing through the car window at the patches of snow on the sidewalk. Gibbs's brow furrows with worry. That Russian must've slammed her around harder than he thought if she's not even going to argue with him. "I'll take DiNozzo," he adds. He isn't sure where that idea came from, but he knows it's a good one. Ziva obviously doesn't think so, though; she looks at him doubtfully, and he just says, "It'll be good for him."

The painkillers make her sleepy, so she goes straight to his bedroom when they reach his place, and he follows. With her ribs so badly bruised, she can't raise her arms very high, so Gibbs carefully helps her undress. She shakes her head when he starts to get her pajamas out of his dresser – more and more of her clothes have been migrating to his house over the past few months – and climbs into his bed in just her bra and panties. Gibbs offers to unclasp her Star of David necklace, which she usually takes off before she sleeps, but she touches the pendant and quietly tells him no, she wants to keep it on tonight.

He tucks the blanket around her and cups his palm against her cheek. "You get some rest, Ziver," he tells her. She nods obediently, and Gibbs leans in and kisses her lips. She looks so tired that Gibbs is sure she falls asleep before he can even turn off the light as he leaves the room.

xXx

She's exhausted from the fight, and her ribs are sore, but sleep doesn't come. She lies in bed, thinking, and Lieutenant Reynolds's words replay in her head. _I guess someone else had other plans. _Ziva remembers how she touched the cross on her necklace when she said it, and her fingers go to the Star of David around her own throat. _Other plans._ Lieutenant Reynolds had never planned on having a baby with an Afghan man in a war zone, just as Ziva had never planned on leaving Mossad, becoming an American citizen, and most surprisingly, being in a relationship with Gibbs. But here she is, a full-fledged NCIS agent – not even probationary anymore – in America, in Gibbs's bed, breaking Rule 12 with the very man who created it.

There was a time, not too long ago, when Ziva never would have believed she'd be here. So maybe the scenarios that seem so impossible to her now might also come true one day. She and Gibbs going public with their relationship, maybe even getting married or having a baby. Ziva imagines cradling a newborn against her breast, a tiny boy or girl with dark, curly hair like hers and Gibbs's blue eyes. If she's already done so many things that she never thought she would do in her life, then why should she be so quick to write off a baby?

Then she smiles into her pillow as another image pops into her head – the shocked wide eyes and open mouths on the guys' faces when they find out about her and Gibbs.

xXx

Gibbs stays awake a bit longer, reheats some leftovers for a late dinner – _very_ late – and takes a shower. Then he slips into his bedroom quietly, to avoid waking Ziva, but when he climbs into bed, he sees that she's still wide-awake, and he can tell that she hasn't slept at all. She hasn't been sleeping very well since their trip to Afghanistan. For several nights, right after they got back, she opened her eyes from a deep sleep, sat up in bed with a start, and looked all around the room, like she didn't know where she was. It always woke Gibbs up too, when this happened, and he would hold her and ask her if she wanted to talk about it. But she never did, and eventually Gibbs stopped asking and just held her until she could sleep again. Now, though, he sees her awake and worries. What has she been thinking about, lying here in the dark for so long?

"You okay?" he asks her. Ziva doesn't answer right away, but the sheets rustle as she moves closer to him in the dark. She clings to him and buries her face in his neck in a strange, vulnerable way that concerns him. Gibbs doesn't see her like this often. His arms go around her, careful not to hurt her ribs, and hold her close.

When Ziva finally speaks, her voice is contemplative, as if she's been rehearsing what to say. "I was thinking, Gibbs," she says, her voice slightly muffled against his neck, "2012 will be here soon. A new year. And I think... 2012 will be the year for us, yes?"

She doesn't elaborate on what she means by that, but Gibbs thinks he has a pretty good idea. She's patiently agreed to keep their relationship a secret for this long, but Gibbs knew one day, she would insist things had to change. He takes a deep breath and runs a hand through her hair, which smells like the sandalwood shampoo she uses. It still surprises him that just having Ziva curl up against him as she sleeps can, in some ways, be better than sex.

He can't see her eyes – it's too dark and she still has her face buried in his neck, anyway – but he knows that she's waiting for his answer. So he kisses her hair and says, his voice quiet but perfectly clear, "Yeah, Ziver, 2012 will be our year. I promise."

And Gibbs feels her smile against his neck as she finally drifts off to sleep.

**FIN**

* * *

><p>I know some of you probably wanted to see Gibbs and Ziva "go public" with their relationship, but I feel like I've reached a good stopping point here, so I'm marking this story as "complete" for now. I might return to it in the future to write more – it depends on where the rest of Season 9 takes us! Many thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. This was my first time writing Zibbs, and your encouragement meant so much!<p> 


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